10 Best Accidental Horror Movies

Just because the horror genre primarily focusses on freaking out its audience, it does not mean it has a monopoly on it.

In fact, there have been many instances where using the macabre in non-horror movies has been so impressive, that they end up straying far closer to the horror genre than the filmmakers intended.

The genre tends to have a stigma for being tropey thanks to its reliance on violence, gruesomeness and plot twists, so it comes as no surprise that many movies end up employing the same tricks.

After all, there is a universal appeal to fear, as showing something terrifying on a screen can give the viewer a strong sense of catharsis, since audiences love to see characters put through the wringer and overcoming it.

Viewers have been treated to some truly astonishing films that tow the line between horror and non-horror so well, and they have gone on to scare audiences massively, without that being the primary motive.

The following ten are the best of the best when it comes to this, as none of them are horror movies in the conventional sense, but ended up feeling like them anyway.

There are some ways to die that are truly unimaginable, but one of the most haunting is the idea of being buried alive, which is a hypothetical many people - especially those with claustrophobia - prefer to push away.

As the title might suggest, Buried takes full advantage of this fear, as it presents you with a compelling and thrilling drama that revolves around one performance and a terrifying set-up.

It follows Paul Conroy, an American truck driver working in Iraq, who is kidnapped and buried in a coffin underground. There, he seeks to stay alive, with nothing but a lighter and a phone.

As if this plot wasn't scary enough, the film fully delves into isolation and claustrophobia, as you stick with Paul - played impeccably by Ryan Reynolds - throughout the whole thing, feeling stuck and doomed as his oxygen slowly runs out, and his time begins to dwindle.

Although it doesn't present itself as a horror movie, audiences felt like they were watching one, thanks to the protagonist's lack of power and hope.